The present invention relates to a dental appliance having increased thickness between an upper shell and a lower shell and a system and a method for treating malocclusions. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dental appliance which may have an upper shell and a lower shell which may be hingedly attached. The upper shell and the lower shell, as well as the hinge, may have an increased thickness in comparison to known dental appliances. As a result, the dental appliance may be used to treat malocclusions such as, for example, overjet or overbite. It is generally known to provide dental care to a patient. Typically, the patient visits, for example, a dentist or other type of care provider at the office of the care provider. The dentist, upon examination of the patient, may provide the patient with a dental appliance to treat the condition of the patient. For example, a patient may have an overbite which may require a dental appliance to be placed within the mouth of the patient.
The examination may determine a size or a shape of an upper shell and a lower shell of a dental appliance which may be provided to the patient. The upper shell and the lower shell receive upper teeth and lower teeth, respectively, of the patient. The upper shell and the lower shell are worn within the mouth of the patient to treat the dental condition. In some cases, the upper shell and the lower shell are connected by a hinge at an end of the dental appliance. The hinge is positioned towards a rear of the mouth of the user when the dental appliance is worn. The hinge prevents the dental appliance from slipping from the mouth of the user.
However, a number of deficiencies exist with dental appliances both when utilizing a hinge and when the upper shell and the lower shell are permanently fixed to each other. For example, a jaw of an individual opens and closes in a manner similar to a hinge. As a result, a dental appliance utilizing a hinge which fixes an upper shell and a lower shell may require a significant reduction in material at a rearward portion of the dental appliance. Specifically, a dental appliance narrows vertically near a portion which receives a first permanent molar and a second permanent molar. Material at the rearward portion of the dental appliance is often weak and may not proceed far enough rearward to completely cover the last tooth and to provide sufficient support bucco-lingually, or from an inside wall of the dental appliance to an outside wall.
To remedy the weakness of the material at the rearward portion, extra material is added to a distal portion of an isthmus of the dental appliance and/or at the hinge area; specifically, at an end of the dental appliance where the upper shell and the lower shell are fixed to the hinge, which is closest to the rear of the mouth when worn. However, the extra material often interferes with a free maximum eruption of a rearmost molar and prevents the molar from erupting and often does not cover the last molar completely. As a result, an overbite, for example, of a patient, may collapse or revert to a previous stage or may have difficulty in fully correcting in the first place.
A need, therefore, exists for a dental appliance and a system and a method for treating malocclusions wherein an upper shell and a lower shell may be sized to extend treatment of the malocclusion to the rear teeth of the user.